


An Education

by akire_yta



Series: prompt ficlets [263]
Category: The Martian - All Media Types, Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-10 14:46:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6989779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>preludeinz requested: John Tracy geeking out VERY HARD about the legendary Mark Watney</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Education

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically Prelude and I realizing that we have the same cinnamon space roll. Also, the events in TM were set in 2035, and TAG starts in 2060 so yay actual canonical dates behaving for once)

 

John was the youngest in the class, by far.  His dad had been pulling strings like a marionettist, making the entire space industry pretty much bend to his will, and John had let himself be led to here. 

 Jeff’s decision that their fledgling International Rescue needed a space-based site of operations hadn’t gone over well, at first.  His decision that one of his son’s, one barely at the end of his first bachelor’s degree, was going up in it, had been even less well-received.  But every ship, every rocket, had at least some parts stamped with the TI logo.  That was all the leverage Jeff needed to pull the string that had led John to  this room.

John knew that every other person crowding into the already full amphitheater  was at least into their Masters programs.  But to get a government operations space rating, there were certain requirements that had to be met.

Technically, John could have chosen from one of three possible courses which all taught variations on space recovery, rescue, and out-of-plan operations.  In reality, John, like every other person in this room, knew the other two were just overflow for this class.

John rarely asked his father for anything.

He had asked to be placed here.  Jeff had nodded and made the call.  On this, at least, there was no need to explain.

John felt a little bad for whoever’s place he’d taken.  But then the far door opened and in walked a man, perhaps around his father’s age, perhaps a little younger. John had known this face ever since he’d known his life was leading him to the stars.

The room had fallen silent.

“My name is Mark Watney.  To get the basics out of the way, yes I survived Mars farming in poop, no, I haven’t done anything much exciting since then, and if anyone tries any pranks involving a potato, I will be using you for my demonstration of why fire in space is bad.  Good?  Ok, this is Space Survival and Rescue 101.”  Watney’s eyes roved around the room, but when they landed on John, they stayed there, just for a moment.  John wondered what Watney had been told about the teenager in the front row.

Then Watney smiled and continued his scan of the room.  “This class is designed so you can give the middle finger to death when everything goes to shit.  And a lot can go to shit in space, so let’s begin.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [History Makers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9995537) by [artemisscribe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemisscribe/pseuds/artemisscribe)




End file.
